Priola Bill to Support University Athletics Gets First Down

Denver—In it's first victory for Colorado university athletics, Senator Kevin Priola's (R-Brighton) Senate Bill 17-041 was voted unanimously out of the Senate Committee on Education on Thursday.

Current law restricts Colorado institutes of higher education to six, multi-year contracted employees, with a limit of five years per contract.

SB 41 exempts any auxiliary enterprise like athletic departments, or any other self-supporting entity from current restrictions on contracted, multi-year employees.

This measure does not increase state expenditures.

"Allowing self-supporting university programs to function like small businesses is a commonsense clean-up with absolutely no burden to Colorado taxpayers," said Priola. "As a proud graduate of the Colorado university system, I am thrilled that we can take this step in strengthening our state's athletic programs and ensuring we are recruiting and retaining the best talent in Colorado."